EquiRatings Eventing Podcast7 Nov 2025

When Nicole Met: Adrian Ditcham

From Burghley to Boekelo and even the London Olympic Games, course designer and builder Adrian Ditcham has shaped some of the most iconic tracks in modern eventing. In this Nicole Met episode, he joins Nicole to talk creativity, pressure, and the art behind building a fair but influential test.

Adrian shares how he went from Pony Club to Burghley's long-time build team, the story behind the London 2012 cross-country course, and why Boekelo is one of the most fascinating challenges in the sport. He also lifts the curtain on planning at Belsay as it steps up to four-star status and reflects on watching Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo deliver one of the great modern rounds.

Highlights

How Adrian fell into course building and design
Inside the Burghley build team and working alongside Derek di Grazia
The story of designing and delivering the London Olympics course
What makes Boekelo such a specific and strategic test
Belsay's pathway to four-star and how designers collaborate with Bramham
The round he still thinks about (hint: Ros & "Walter")
Why watching horses at three-star tells you almost everything

Guests

Adrian Ditcham: International course designer and builder, Burghley assistant designer, Boekelo designer, London 2012 build team

This episode of When Nicole Met is kindly supported by Bedmax, purpose-made, natural horse bedding designed to protect respiratory health, support hooves, and provide a clean, comfortable stable environment.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(1311)

A Cup of Tea with Sam Lissington

This week's Cup of Tea is with Sam Lissington, and she's arrived with news that's still sinking in: her first senior call-up, earned inside a fortnight that could easily have gone the other way. Seco...

8 Jul 22min

USEA Special: Careers in the Sport

For many horse lovers, becoming a professional rider is the dream, but it's far from the only way to build a fulfilling career in eventing. In this episode of the USEA Official Podcast, host Nicole Br...

1 Jul 1h 5min

Who Heads to Aachen? The Team Picks!

Forget the selectors. We've picked the teams. Nicole is joined by Sam Watson, Annie Bishop and Spike the Vet to take on one of the toughest jobs in eventing, selecting the combinations they'd send to ...

30 Jun 1h 27min

Red Mills Special: Andrew Williams & John Tilley on producing tomorrow's stars

From sourcing young horses to producing future five-star talent, Andrew Williams and John Tilley have helped shape the careers of some of the sport's biggest names, including Tim Price's Jarillo, Geor...

26 Jun 1h

2026 Luhmühlen Review Show

Luhmühlen delivered one of the biggest results of the season so far and with championship selection getting closer, Nicole and Ali have plenty to unpack. This week they look back on Caroline Harris an...

24 Jun 24min

Willberry Special

There are some stories that stay with the sport forever. This week, Nicole shines a light on Hannah's Willberry Wonder Pony charity as it celebrates 10 years of making an extraordinary impact. At Badm...

20 Jun 16min

2026 Luhmühlen Preview Show

One withdrawal and suddenly the whole conversation looks different. This week Nicole, Annie and Ali preview Luhmühlen, build their Eventing Manager teams and try to work out where the value now sits i...

17 Jun 38min

Defender Bramham Review Show 2026

Bramham feels like one of those moments in the season where things stop being hypothetical. Nicole and Spike look back on a weekend that answered some questions, created a few more, and left plenty of...

16 Jun 38min